1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for providing a service according to information sent from various apparatuses. The present invention also relates to a mobile terminal, an information storage apparatus, an information processing system, an information processing method, and a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Digital home appliances that can store image data, such as DVD/HDD recorders, have become widespread. Such a digital home appliance can be used as a server at home. For example, not only a TV program but also image data obtained by a digital camera can be stored in a recorder by installing a memory card slot to the recorder. In addition, image data can also be stored therein by connection to a digital camera via an interface such as USB. Since such a recorder has a large-capacity hard disc, a large amount of image data can be stored therein.
Furthermore, a recorder having an Ethernet® terminal has been proposed. Such a recorder can access the Internet via a broadband router at home, and programmed recording of a TV program can be easily carried out by obtaining a TV program guide from a server.
Like a personal computer, such a recorder can carry out various kinds of functions according to software installed therein. For example, such a recorder can download image data or moving image data from a specific server, and can upload image data or moving image data that have been stored therein to a specific server. Therefore, such a recorder can be used for downloading image data by accessing a server via a user interface displayed on a TV set. In addition, such a recorder can be used for placing a printing order regarding image data by uploading the image data stored therein to a server that provides a printing service.
Meanwhile, following the spread of camera phones, which are mobile phones with built-in digital cameras, a system has been proposed for placing a printing order regarding image data by uploading the image data stored in a camera phone to a server that provides a printing service (see Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-251355 or 2003-263471, for example).
Furthermore, various kinds of printing services have been proposed by using a server. For example, a system has been proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-133133 for storing image data sent from a user for a predetermined period and for using the image data in the case of reception of a printing order regarding the image data. Furthermore, in U.S. patent application Publication No. 20030065807 has been proposed a system for limiting image data to be received, by receiving only image data, to which predetermined information has been added.
In the case where a printing order is placed by using a recorder described above, the recorder does not have information for specifying the name, the address, and the phone number of a user, and information for specifying a method of payment. Therefore, the user needs to send the information to a server by inputting the information each time he/she places an order, which is troublesome.
On the contrary, a mobile phone enables user identification by the phone number, and a user thereof is billed via his/her mobile phone carrier. Therefore, a server can manage billing regarding a printing order. However, a bandwidth of a mobile phone connection is narrower than a broadband connection, which is not suitable for placing a printing order regarding a large amount of image data.